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The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals will play a pivotal showdown in Week 12. It’s safe to say Steelers rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase are ready for the matchup.
Chase shared with the media on November 24 that the Bengals will begin to show in Week 12 why they can still make the playoffs even without quarterback Joe Burrow for the rest of the season.
“Show y’all this week,” Chase told reporters. “Wait for the show.”
Porter agreed that their will be a show in the Steelers-Bengals Week 12 matchup.
“He’s telling the truth. Wait for the show,” Porter said in response to Chase. “It’s gonna be on Sunday. It’s gonna be watched, and I’m ready. Whatever happens, I’m ready with it.”
Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr. to Shadow Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase?
Even without Burrow and wide receiver Tee Higgins, who also won’t play on November 26, the Bengals will still have a lot of talent on the field in Week 12. That includes Chase.
Despite Cincinnati’s record, Chase isn’t far off his receptions and yards per game averages from last season when he posted 87 catches and 1,046 receiving yards in just 12 contests.
He poises a threat even with rookie Jake Browning behind center for the Bengals.
“I feel like he’s an overall athlete. He’s a good player,” Porter said of Chase. “He’s been doing it in the league for a long time. I’m excited for this matchup. I feel like I’m prepared for it.”
Porter told reporters that he believes he will shadow Chase around the field. The Steelers have used Porter in that fashion over the past few games since the rookie traveled with Tennessee Titans veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins in Week 9.
“I take a lot of pride in [covering the opponent’s top receiver]. That’s what I wanted coming in the building,” Porter said. “They are giving me the tools to do that. They are trusting me. I’m thankful for that. It’s time to put on.
“These are the situations that I always dreamed of. I watched as a kid DB’s having their 1-on-1 matchups with the top guy. Now it’s my turn.”
Porter has played 95% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps over the past three weeks. He played every defensive snap in the Week 10 victory against the Green Bay Packers.
Among players with at least 325 snaps this season, Pro Football Focus has Porter ranked as Pittsburgh’s third-best defender. Only T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are ahead of Porter in PFF’s player grades.
As for Chase, he has 71 receptions, 833 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns in 10 games this season.
The Importance of Steelers-Bengals Week 12 Matchup
Pittsburgh’s chances of winning the AFC North took a hit with the loss to the Cleveland Browns on November 19. But the Steelers are still in good position to make the playoffs.
The Steelers have home matchups against the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals looming in early December. They will also visit the Indianapolis Colts on December 17.
But even if the Steelers won all three of those games (which is obviously not guaranteed), it will likely take one or two more wins to make the playoffs. And the Steelers will end the season with difficult road matchups against the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens.
Pittsburgh’s playoff chances could be determined in the two matchups against the Bengals.
At 5-5, the Bengals are not in a playoff spot heading into Week 12. They also face six opponents with winning records in their final seven games.
If the Bengals don’t beat Joey Porter Jr. and the Steelers on November 26, then Cincinnati’s margin for error to make the postseason will become very slim.
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